RUSSELLVILLE, Ky. – With $240 million in approved investments and an additional $50 million under evaluation, Logan Aluminum Inc., a mill making rolled sheets for beverage cans, will join Kentucky’s growing list of automotive suppliers, Gov. Steve Beshear announced today as he joined company officials and community leaders in Logan County.

“Strong, lightweight materials are quickly becoming standard in vehicle production and Logan Aluminum’s expanded operations contribute to Kentucky’s position as a global leader in the aluminum industry,” Gov. Beshear said. “Logan Aluminum sets the example of how innovative Kentucky companies can add capacity, products and jobs by reacting to market forces.”

Already employing more than 1,000 and ranking as one of Logan County’s largest employers over the past 30 years, Logan Aluminum’s project will create approximately 190 jobs. The additional pending $50 million investment would grow the company’s current production of rolled sheet for beverage cans.

Logan Aluminum, in conjunction with Tri-Arrows Aluminum (TAA), will expand its recycling/new ingot casting facility to provide additional capabilities and increased capacity at its rolling mills, scalping and pre-heating operations.

The changes will allow the plant to produce heavier gauge material, allowing for expansion into other products including automotive sheet.

Logan Aluminum’s ingot casting facility will include a new 280,000-square-foot building on the existing plant site to produce approximately 600 million pounds of cast ingot annually.

An additional 68,000-square-foot expansion will accommodate new equipment for aluminum sheet production to support its expanded capabilities including the auto industry.

“Logan Aluminum has become a world leader in the supply of rolled aluminum sheet through the team members’ dedication to continuous improvement since the start-up in 1983,” said Randy Schumaker, president of Logan Aluminum. “These investments provide the base for continuing industry leadership for Logan Aluminum as the aluminum marketplace transforms over the coming years.”

“This expansion project will enhance both the capability and capacity at the Logan rolling mill,” said Steve Shiraishi, CEO and president of Tri-Arrows Aluminum. “The investment will significantly strengthen TAA’s position in rolled can sheet markets, providing greater assurance for the reliability of supply to our customers. Additionally, it provides us with greater commercial flexibility by extending the breadth of our product offering to other markets, including automotive. We are very pleased to contribute to economic growth and creation of employment in this region through the project.”

The company expects to start the project in 2015 and plans to start producing heavier gauge sheet in 2016 and casting ingots in early 2018.

Logan Aluminum began production in 1985 as a joint venture between Louisville-based Tri-Arrows Aluminum and Atlanta-based Novelis Inc. The company currently makes primarily two types of coiled sheet aluminum used for tops and bodies of beverage cans.

The company sends its finished coils by truck and rail to customers in North America. As well, it exports to foreign customers. Approximately 45 percent of North America’s beverage cans contain aluminum from the Logan County facility.

The Commonwealth boasts more than 150 aluminum facilities – from mills to makers of end-user products – and the industry employs nearly 18,000 full-time workers. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Kentucky has the greatest capacity to produce aluminum in the nation. Aluminum accounts for $2 billion in the state’s gross domestic product.

“I am so pleased with Logan’s decision to take advantage of these incentives. I appreciate their continued commitment to Logan and surrounding counties to grow, create new jobs and expand into the automotive industry,” said Rep. Martha Jane King, of Lewisburg. “I am very proud of my affiliation with Logan Aluminum for over 30 years and was glad to support this legislation which allowed companies to reinvest and expand.”

“Logan Aluminum has been a great asset to our community since their beginning of operation,” said Bert Adler, mayor of Lewisburg. “We are proud they are a part of our community and their growth will have a positive impact on our economic growth. I am looking forward to the continued Partnership with Logan.”

“Logan County is delighted to help with the expansion of Logan Aluminum,” said Logan County Judge-Executive Logan Chick. “They provide good-paying, world-class, advanced manufacturing jobs in Logan County. We are very blessed to have them here. This expansion has been highly anticipated and we truly appreciate their continued job creation and investment in Logan County.”

To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $5.2 million through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the agreement term through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.

Additionally, Logan Aluminum was preliminarily approved by KEDFA for $1.8 million in tax incentives through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act (KEIA). KEIA allows approved companies to recoup Kentucky sales and use tax on construction costs, building fixtures, equipment used in research and development and electronic processing.

Logan Aluminum also is eligible to receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies are eligible to receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives. Last year, the Kentucky Skills Network trained more than 84,000 employees from more than 5,600 Kentucky companies.

Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at www.ThinkKentucky.com. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion on Facebook or follow on Twitter. Watch the Cabinet’s “This is My Kentucky” video on YouTube.